Pools

All pools (in ground and above ground) with electrical equipment require a Certificate of Inspection from ESA to be considered safe and to be compliant with insurance and manufacturer's warranty.

Electrical installations, therefore, should be done by a qualified, provincially licensed electrical contractor (under the direction of a Master Electrician) and the ESA inspector must physically inspect and issue a certificate for each installation (per code rules.)

Steel sided pools with salt chlorinators must now be bonded in accordance with the electrical code, as well as the manufacturer's directives to avoid premature corrosion/erosion due to dissimilar electrical potential between the salt water and the steel components and to eliminate the possibility of shock hazard.

This means #6 coated green cable must be connected to pool sides (at 4 points) with approved terminal lugs, anti-oxide compound and one continuous (no breaks) cable looped through ladder and rail cups, diving board anchors and to the electrical service panel bond. This puts the steel components at the same potential as the house ground. The cement reinforcing steel is also bonded to the pool sides in 4 places as well as any metalic fence within 1.5 meters of the pool sides.

Please keep in mind when having a pool installed:

No electrical device (120v or greater) is to be located within 1.5 meters of the waters edge. (This is also relevant for above ground pools and pumps.)

Any electrical device within 1.5 to 3 meters is to be ground-fault protected from a remote source. That means: an air conditioner, receptacle, porch light or lamp post must be ground-fault protected remotely.

A metallic fence within 1.5 meters of the waters edge must be bonded in accordance with the electrical code.

Overhead wires, both high voltage or house service entrance cables, must comply to the safe working distances of approach section of the code.

All underground power cables must be a minimum of 18” deep and cannot be in the same trench as gas lines (they must be at least 3ft apart) unless special precautions and written approval from the electrical inspector is granted.

The electrical inspector always comes and physically inspects the pool installation regardless of the contractor's qualifications due to the significant risk of shock hazard that could develop in a non-code compliant installation.

Pool logic controllers (ie. Hayward, Jandy are to be installed by electricians that have been trained by their factory reps.)